Natural Stone vs. Manufactured Products: A Quick Practical Comparison

Natural Stone vs. Manufactured Products? This always has been a controversial topic for builders and home renovators. The following is a quick practical comparison between the two options. There are lots of unique natural stones to choose from when designing your home. Natural stone has lots of advantages for your interior design, and each material is slightly different. As well as stones like granite and quartz, marble is a very popular choice for interior design. Let’s look at some of the main reasons people choose marble for their interior design.

Marble Has a Unique Amazing Appearance

One of the main draws of marble is its elegant, timeless appearance. Not only does it look great, but you also get a completely unique appearance for your countertops, bench-tops, walls, bathrooms, walls and floors because each slab is slightly different. The color tones, patterns, and veining vary from one piece of marble to the next, giving it that uniqueness.

Marble is Heat Resistant

You don’t have to worry about putting a hot plate or pan down on your marble countertops, because marble is completely heat resistant. This is a big advantage if you love to cook and bake a lot in your marble kitchen. In fact, marble is one of the best choices when it comes to heat-resistance. That’s why if you’re looking for a natural stone surround for your fireplace, marble is the perfect choice.

Marble is Incredibly Durable

Marble is an impressively durable material, meaning it is resistant against scratches and will last a long time in good condition. Although it takes a little more maintenance than granite countertops, it is still a great choice for its toughness.

Old Buildings and Statues

Just look at all the old buildings and statues made from marble as a testament to its durability. So, you don’t have to worry too much about scratches and chips. If you accidentally drop something on your marble flooring, bench-tops or countertops. You can seal marble for extra resilience one downside to marble as a material in the kitchen is that it can be prone to staining and etching if acidic liquids are spilled on it.

Sealing Marble

The good news is that this can be prevented effectively by your marble installed areas. Doing this fills the pores at the surface of the stone to prevent liquids from being absorbed so quickly. As long as you clean up spills quickly, your sealed marble countertops should be safe from stains.

Are you convinced to have marble countertops in your new kitchen design? You will love the look and richness they bring to your home. 

Why Marble?

We get this question ALL the time, why marble?  For some reason, marble and natural stone gets a bad reputation and seems like a scary investment to a lot of homeowners. Marble etches. It stains. Marble stone can be scratched. It changes over time, and naturally patinas as it ages. All of those things sound intimidating, but they’re honestly a big part of why we personally love using natural stone throughout our homes.

We’ll be the first to say marble is not for everyone. If you are not new and a stranger to using natural stone, you know that natural stone isn’t the top choice for everyone. But it’s always best to know what to expect before making the investment. Let’s finish with a quick comparison of natural stone and man-made, or manufactured products, such as quartz! First up, let’s chat about natural stone.

Natural Stone Aesthetic, Touch, Composition, Historic, Repair ability

Aesthetic

Natural stone is one-of-a-kind, beautiful, original, and typically provides a higher-end look.

Touch

Natural stone has a really nice hand or feel, and typically regulates temperature better. there is a reason bakers love marble countertops.

Composition

Natural stone is an organic, natural material that comes directly from nature- specifically, from a quarry.

Historic

Natural stone has been around forever and is still just as beautiful today.

Repairable

Natural stone is relatively easy to repair, since it is softer and absorbent. You can pull out stains using a poultice, you can buff, sand, polish, or oil out scratches, and you can even reshape the material or edge profile if it gets chipped.

Natural Stone Maintenance, Aging and Durability

Maintenance

Natural stone does require regular maintenance. It should be sealed or enhanced once or twice a year, and cleaned properly.

Aging Process

While I personally believe the aging process for natural stone makes it better with time, patina often bothers people. Natural stone will change throughout its lifetime. It’s just a fact. The areas of your countertops you use most often will look more used eventually.

Durability

While natural stones are very durable and have literally withstood the test of time (again, think of those ancient cathedrals), it isn’t as durable as certain man made stones. It is absorbent, “softer”, and prone to etching, staining, and scratching.

Natural Stone vs. Manufactured Products

Natural stone vs. manufactured products topic was discussed here. Although marble is a beautiful and durable stone surface for countertops, it takes extra care for cleaning and maintenance. It is composed of calcium carbonate, which makes it susceptible to etching by any acids. Marble is softer and more porous than granite and as a result, you may see more scratches, pitting, cracks, stains, and even dulling of the shine. So, the final conclusion regarding binary classification of natural stone vs. manufactured products is up to you. 

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Sources

roomfortuesday.com/marble-maintenance-the-truth-about-natural-stone/

www.thespruce.com/marble-countertop-care-and-cleaning-1901060

amanzigranite.com/why-you-should-choose-marble